A 96 year old War Hero and ex POW, has spent almost all of his life savings to pay for 24-hour care at his home in Burnt Oak, North London. Now the veteran, who was one of the British soldiers who survived Hitler’s 1,000-mile death march across Europe in 1945, only has enough money to last another three months.

If anyone feels like supporting this petition, link is here. Thanks.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-robbie-clark-96-yr-old-war-hero-from-eviction?bucket=welfare2

I’m not really sure I’m well placed to help make decisions about care provision for a man with challenging requirements who I’ve never met – irrespective of the life which he’s lived.

No be better asking for donations instead of signatures ❓

💡 Why sell your home to pay for care in a care home (which he doesn’t want), when you could release the equity in the home to pay for carers within his home.

Playing devils advocate here…
But if they listed a bunch if treatments and procedures for, say, children, that would have to be scrapped in favour of the desired outcome of this petition, would you still sign it?

DrP

But if they listed a bunch if treatments and procedures for, say, children, that would have to be scrapped in favour of the desired outcome of this petition, would you still sign it?

Could you give us a brief precis of the childrens’ war records?

I’m not really sure I’m well placed to help make decisions about care provision for a man with challenging requirements who I’ve never met – irrespective of the life which he’s lived.

This.

And if his family are so supportive are they willing to provide the care needed?

The care cost is £1000 a week. The council have offered to pay £450 a week towards him staying at home so they would have the meet the other £550 to keep him at home.

The family have said they might have to consider re-mortgaging the house to pay for the rest. IF they had already done this and were looking to the tax payer as a last resort – I would be the first person chipping in. Otherwise doesn’t it just sound like a campaign for them to keep their inheritance?

He’s a hero. He deserves better.

He’s a hero.

An over-used over-emotive word if ever there was one. Nobody remembers the heroes who didn’t pick up a gun.

Hero or not, a debt is owed.

Nobody remembers the heroes who didn’t pick up a gun.

Emotive nonsense.

Is there a published scale of hero-ness? I’m just wondering how, for instance, nurses or MRT members might fit into this.

Nobody remembers the heroes who didn’t pick up a gun.

Like Winston Churchill you mean?

The dude is 96, his kids are probably already in care homes !

No be better asking for donations instead of signatures

I agree with @seosamh. I gave some money for the Newcastle man attacked (his attacker was jailed today BTW), £300,00 was raised in total. Budget choices have to be made.

Hero or not, a debt is owed.

Nobody remembers the heroes who didn’t pick up a gun.

Emotive nonsense.

And is being paid, he’s being given care isn’t he? They are even willing to meet halfway. There are options that would allow him to carry on as he has but at the end of the day it is not one rule for some and another for the rest.

Why emotive nonsense? Why are all ex-forces automatically referred to as heroes but doctors, paramedics, firemen etc. just glossed over? Why is their selflessness worth any less?

Instead of signing a useless petition, why not vote for a political party that is committed to the proper provision of long-term healthcare for the elderly and is open about raising the taxes necessary to pay for it?

Why are all ex-forces automatically referred to as heroes but doctors, paramedics, firemen etc. just glossed over? Why is their selflessness worth any less?

Eh? Where’s it say that then?

Why are all ex-forces automatically referred to as heroes

Because without the ‘hero’ status attached, getting yourself shot or blown up for 20k a year, for whatever spurious justification the politicians come up with, looks like a pretty idiotic thing to do?

Eh? Where’s it say that then?

In the Great British book of Pedantry, I’m sure you’ll easily find it in the copy you’re obviously enthusiatically indexing.

Excuse me for expressing an opinion, I’m sure ‘our lads’ will appreciate your support despite you completely missing my point.

How we treat our elderly with serious medical issues is going to be something as a country we need to deal with.

sad situation for all concerned. But in all honesty “it would remind me of being a prisoner of war”…Is a bit daft.

How we treat our elderly with serious medical issues is going to be something as a country we need to deal with.

Indeed, we should place them in some sort of institutions where they can be provide with round the clock care. Has no-one thought of doing this for this poor chap?

Wouldn’t happen in Scotland – just saying.

I’ve had many a conversation with elderly people about looking at now getting care in a home rather than trying to get by at home. I have a duty of care to do this, it’s not an easy thing to do. By the very nature of their age many have been war vets. I’ve also just had conversations to set up care at there home to allow them to stay at home. Many don’t even want that as they see it as quiting, some don’t understand the risk they are at.

I know absolutely nothing of this case other than the hyperbole posted on the petition page. I really can not possible know what is best for him and finding it disturbing that due to bunch of strangers he may not get the best of care for him.

as above, remortgage the house and use that money. Unfortunately this is what happens when you are old to lots of old folks. Not ideal, but cant see why this chap is any more deserving.

And is being paid, he’s being given care isn’t he?

He’s buying care as far as I can tell.

Why emotive nonsense? Why are all ex-forces automatically referred to as heroes but doctors, paramedics, firemen etc. just glossed over? Why is their selflessness worth any less?

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=hero+firefighter&tbs=ctr:countryUK|countryGB&cr=countryUK|countryGB

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#cr=countryUK|countryGB&tbs=ctr:countryUK|countryGB&q=hero+police+officer

There is no glossing over as far as I can tell. It’s just different levels. Being fired at 7 days a week for 6 months gives a lot more opportunities for brave people to be brave. A paramedic (who may well be equally brave) might not get that many chances to demonstrate it, and even if they do it’s unlikely to be in as perilous a situation.
Regardless, the crappy situation of a chap whos suffered tremendously in the name of Britian is not the ideal place to communicate your personal distaste of soldiers.

Regardless, the crappy situation of a chap whos suffered tremendously in the name of Britian is not the ideal place to communicate your personal distaste of soldiers.

Quite, freedom of opinion only applies to those who worship the war machine.

Regardless, the crappy situation of a chap whos suffered tremendously in the name of Britian is not the ideal place to communicate your personal distaste of soldiers.

I think I may have come across wrong; I have no distaste for any forces personnel but rather take a dim view of an unspoken two tier system where some people believe that they should be held on a pedestal and given special treatment at the cost of others who are just as deserving. Of course he deserves the best possible treatment, I would say we all do as citizens of this country, but what he (and others) wants may not necessarily be what he needs. As I said if his family want him to stay at home then they are free to contribute to the costs or care for him themselves.

A hero is a hero in my book, we have many ways to honour them but it should never be at the cost of the rest of society nor should the term be cheapened in the way it so often has been.

There aren’t too many chaps who served in WW2 left to thank in person for our freedom to talk rubbish on the internets. Provided his family do their best, I have no problem with making the odd special case.

This tends to be where those who have served and who haven’t diverge in opinion, due to a lack of perspective I suppose.

If it was my father Im sure I would make the necessary sacrifices and look after him.

There aren’t too many chaps

Again, illustrating my point perfectly.

I have no problem with making the odd special case.

Would you still have no problem with it if it was an elderly relative of yours that was told this:

“Yes, we know you have care needs and these are eligible for our funding, but I’m afraid we’ve spent that money on someone else’s care. They were a special case. Bye.”

?

Instead of signing a useless petition, why not vote for a political party that is committed to the proper provision of long-term healthcare for the elderly and is open about raising the taxes necessary to pay for it?

@dazh – the local authority have offered to provide him the care he needs at a cost of £450 a week. He would prefer to remain at home but that doesn’t mean that should be the outcome, budget choices have to be made as as Dr J says what else would you cut back on. At some point you have to draw a line. The care costs of the elderly is a huge political issue and a practical problem because the costs are spiralling per head and the number of elderly is rising dramatically. In many societies the elderly live with their kids, that’s the norm for care. We don’t have such a system but the cost of our version is very high.

communicate your personal distaste of soldiers

I’m struggling to see where anyone’s done this?

The reality of it is care is expensive. Really expensive. The family can make the top ups if they choose.

There is at least change on the horizon with the contributions cap of 72k being introduced.

He’s a good man I have no doubt. He’s probably a brave man. The men who farmed the land and dug for coal where also good men. Quite possibly also brave. I don’t see much difference.

If you want change vote or make a change.

I think what a lot of people are saying is that they revere soldiers but oppose conflict.

Quite, freedom of opinion only applies to those who worship the war machine.

It may be news to you, but there’s a difference between freedom of opinion and common decency.

It may be news to you, but there’s a difference between freedom of opinion and common decency.

As said, what you read and what was said are two completely different things. Nobody has attacked forces personnel in this thread.

I find it commonly indecent to judge a persons contibution to ascertain the care they should receive, or maybe if the law should apply to them. If you find it a special case it should highlight the need for higher taxation to provide care for everyone, not the cherry picking of care to those deemed worthy this week.

How would someone like Colin Parry fit on your scale of worthiness, to the best of my knowledge he has never fired a gun in anger, but is a far greater hero than 99.9% of those who have.

Who should decide this differential worthiness, the government, you, me or the Sun?

It may be news to you, but there’s a difference between freedom of opinion and common decency.

I must have missed something. Since when did voicing an opposition to the waging of war become an affront to common decency?

This is what you get when you cut benefits and council grant. It’s shit isn’t it?

There’s actually a really good way to fix this. It’s coming up on the 7th May.

Just saying.